PERSONS - index - PERSONEN

19/09/2015

Ino Tadataka

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a Japanese surveyor and cartographer. He is known for completing the first map of Japan created using modern surveying techniques.

Early life
Inō was born in Kujūkuri, a coastal village in Kazusa Province, in what is now Chiba Prefecture, and was adopted (aged seventeen) by the prosperous Inō family of Sawara (now a district of Katori, Chiba), a town in Shimōsa Province. He ran the family business, expanding its sake brewing and rice-trading concerns, until he retired at the age of 49. At this time he moved to Edo and became a pupil of astronomer Takahashi Yoshitoki, from whom he learned Western astronomy, geography, and mathematics.

Mission
In 1800, after nearly five years of study, the Shogunate permitted Inō to perform a survey of the country using his own money. This task, which consumed the remaining seventeen years of his life, covered the entire coastline and some of the interior of each of the Japanese home islands. During this period Inō reportedly spent 3,736 days making measurements (and travelled 34,913 kilometres), stopping regularly to present the Shogun with maps reflecting his survey's progress. He produced a number of detailed maps (some at a scale of 1:36,000, others at 1:216,000) of select parts of Japan, mostly in Kyūshū and Hokkaidō.

Inō's magnum opus, his 1:216,000 map of the entire coastline of Japan, remained unfinished at his death in 1818, but was completed by his surveying team in 1821. An atlas collecting all of his survey work, entitled Dai Nihon Enkai Yochi Zenzu (ja:大日本沿海輿地全図 Maps of Japan's Coastal Area), was published that year. It had three pages of large scale maps at 1:432,000, showed the entire country on eight pages at 1:216,000 and 214 pages of select coastal areas in fine detail at 1:36,000. The Inō-zu (Inō's maps), many of which are accurate to 1/1000 of a degree, remained the definitive maps of Japan for nearly a century, and maps based on his work were in use as late as 1924.
In addition to his maps,
Inō produced several scholarly works on surveying and mathematics, including Chikyū sokuenjutsu mondō and Kyūkatsuen hassenhō.

Commemoration
Inō is celebrated as one of the architects of modern Japan. A museum, dedicated to his memory, was opened in his former home in Sawara, and in 1996 was designated a National Historic Site. In November 1995 the Japanese government issued a commemorative 80 Yen postage stamp, showing Inō's portrait and a section of his map of Edo. Most of the complete copies of the atlas have been lost or destroyed (often by fire), although a mostly-complete copy of the large-scale map was discovered in the collection of the U.S. Library of Congress in 2001.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

He was even choosen for a Google Logo in Japan.

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Inō Tadataka (Inō Chūkei) (1745-1818)
was born in Kazusa Province in 1745. He was adopted as the heir of the Inō family in the city of Sawara. He managed the family brewery until he was fifty. After he retired he began to study astronomy, geography and mathematics and began drawing maps. Between 1800 and 1816 he spent 3,736 days taking measurements and mapping Japan. His maps are accurate to about a thousandth of a degree.
Tadataka's maps were not completed during his lifetime. In 1821 the Dai Nihon enkai yochi zenzu, an atlas of Japan based on his surveys was completed. The atlas contained 214 sheets on a scale of 1:36,000, 8 sheets on a scale of 1:216,000 and 3 sheets on a scale of 1:432,000.
Though Inō's maps were not in use during the Edo period, they were made the standard maps of the country in the Meiji era. Maps published by the British Navy in the 1860's were based on Inō's maps, and maps based on Inō's were used as late as 1924 by the Japanese military.

The stamp was issued in November 1995 to observe the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ino Tadataka. The map depicted on the stamp is a portion of a map attributed to Tadataka. The map shows an area centered, more or less on Edo (now Tokyo), and shows the province of Kazuza where Takataka was born. The city of Sawara is slightly north and just west of the the point on the right of the land in the map.
The portrait of Tadataka is from a contemporary painting.
- source : sio.midco.net/dansmapstamps -

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Ino Tadataka Museum 伊能忠敬記念館 Inoh Tadataka Museum
1722-1 Sawara-i, Katori City, Chiba Prefecture 香取市
- source : city.katori.lg.jp/museum -

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Japan's Master Cartographer: The Inoh Tadataka Museum
Inoh Tadataka (1745-1818),
a wealthy Sawara rice and sake merchant, had ancestors with a penchant for surveying and mapmaking, and perhaps thus influenced he developed a fascination with astronomy in middle age. Retiring from his business at 49, he moved to Edo, where he studied for five years with the Shogunate's official astronomer, then set out on the first of ten surveying expeditions the length and breadth of Japan. That initial effort, to make the first accurate map of the northern island of Ezo (now Hokkaido), so impressed the Shogunate that it commissioned him for several more expeditions. Inoh traveled and surveyed almost incessantly for 17 years until shortly before his death; his masterwork, a detailed map of the entire Japanese archipelago, was published posthumously in 1821. The soon-to-be legendary "Inoh Map" (Inoh-zu) was so accurate that it set the standard for maps of Japan, both domestic and foreign, for another century -- German and British cartographers copied it too.

The Inoh Tadataka Museum is Sawara's spacious, well-organized tribute to this remarkable favorite son. Fortunately for visitors in transit from Narita, it offers reasonably detailed English descriptions of its exhibits, most of which are, naturally, maps, of all sizes and scales. One of the most revealing is an electronic display that superimposes the Inoh Map on a recent Landsat photo of Japan. Aside from some slight longitudinal deviation (longitude, which Inoh tried to derive from observations of solar and lunar eclipses, was much harder to measure than latitude), the Inoh Map is an astonishingly close match to the satellite's.

Inoh Tadataka's map of Japan, 1821

Nearly as fascinating as Inoh's maps are the museum's charts of the labyrinthine routes he took on his expeditions, zigzagging his way up and down the archipelago with a band of surveyors, retainers and guards. (It is interesting to see how Inoh's mapping accuracy improved as the Shogun increased his budgetary support.)
- source : Alan Gleason -

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伊能忠敬 : 清水靖夫

伊能忠敬 : 大石学 / 西本鶏介

- Reference - 伊能忠敬 -

- Reference - English -

. Welcome to Edo 江戸 ! .

. Introducing Japanese Haiku Poets .

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18/09/2015

Shibukawa Shunkai Harumi

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. koyomi 暦 Japanese calendars .
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Shibukawa Shunkai 渋川春海 Shibukawa Harumi
(1639 - 1715)

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also known as Shibukawa Harumi, Yasui Santetsu II 二世保井算哲, and
Motoi Santetsu 保井算晢, was a Japanese scholar, go player and the first official astronomer appointed of the Edo period.
He revised the Chinese lunisolar calendar at the imperial request, drawing up the Jōkyō calendar which was issued in 1684 during the Jōkyō era. In 1702, he changed his name to Shibukawa Sukezaemon Shunkai and retired by 1711. As a go player, he was affiliated with the Yasui house, calling himself initially (after his father) Yasui Santetsu II. He is mentioned as a Tengen player in Yamashita Keigo 's book: Challenging Tenge.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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The Jōkyō calendar (貞享暦 Jōkyō-reki) was a Japanese lunisolar calendar, in use from 1684 to 1753. It was officially adopted in 1685.
The Jōkyō-reki system was developed and explained by Shibukawa Shunkai. He recognized that the length of the solar year is 365.2417 days.
Shibukawa discovered errors in the traditional Chinese calendar, the Semmyō calendar, which had been in use for 800 years.

Japan has been using the Gregorian calendar since 1874,
but still refers to its KYUREKI 旧暦, the old calendar, on many occasions.
. Calendar Systems of Japan - Introduction .
Calendar History / Local calendars / E-goyomi (Picture calendar) / Daisho-reki calendars / Various forms of calendars

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Shibukawa Harumi
Title:Tenmon gata
Japanese:澁川春海(Shibukawa Harumi or Shibukawa Shunkai)
Other names Yasui Santetsu II 二世保井算哲 Motoi Santetsu 保井算晢

Harumi was born into a family of go-players to the shogunate, but was also interested in mathematics and astronomy. At that time Japan was still calculating the calendar using the Tang calendar the Senmyô calendar 宣明暦, which it had adopted in 8612, and inaccuracies in the calendar were obvious, especially that the winter solstice was calculated almost two days late. Also, it was not very accurate with eclipses, in particular predicted far too many. Harumi like some other scholars of the time believed that the Mongol-period Juji calendar 授時暦, which was the apex of the Chinese calendar tradition,should be adopted in Japan.

Through his professional connections as a go-player he was able to interest several officials in the project, especially Hoshina Masanori 保科正之 of Aizu, the shogun's guardian, and Mito Mitsukuni. He made a table of eclipses as predicted by the Senmyô and Juji calendars to prove the superiority of the later.

However, on 1675/5/1 an eclipse that was predicted by the Senmyô calendar but not by the Juji calendar did occur, and so the idea of changing calendars was rejected. Harumi managed to get hold of a (forbidden) Chinese work on western astronomy, and "localized" the 13th-century Chinese calendar for 17th century Japan, and in 1683 petitioned the imperial court to adopt the "Yamato" calendar. However, the next year the court decided to adopt the Ming-period Daitô calendar 大統暦, a very slight revision of the Juji calendar. Harumi again petitioned, saying the Daitou calendar was not suitable for Japan, and finally on 1684/10/29 the Yamato calendar was accepted, and it went into effect the next year as the Jôkyô calendar 貞享暦.

After that, the shogunate established the office of the Tenmon gata 天文方, and Harumi became the first holder of that post. He had an observatory on his property and built some astronomical instruments.
- source : wiki.samurai-archives.com -

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tenmongata, tenmonkata 天文方 - Astronomical Bureau with officer in charge of astronomy
Members of Yoshida family inherited the position of Tenmonkata until the end of Edo period.

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tenmondai 天文台　Edo observatory
In the late Edo Period, the Tokugawa shogunate’s astronomical observatory was built in the location that is now known as Asakusabashi 3-chome. The facility was responsible for conducting astronomical observation, creating calendar-construction rules, surveying lands, compiling geographical descriptions and translating Western books.,
The observatory was an astronomical office where calendars were compiled, originally, the facility was called "Hanreki-sho Goyo Yashiki," it was also known as "Shitendai" and "Asakusa Tenmondai."
The astronomical observatory was essential in order to create accurate calendars..

Hokusai Katsushika was a well-known ukiyoe artist who was active in the late Edo Period. The Asakusa Observatory, equipped with an armillary sphere, is depicted against a backdrop of Mt. Fuji in "Torigoe no Fuji," which is a print contained in "One Hundred Views of Mt. Fuji" by Hokusai.
At the observatory, Yoshitoki Takahashi, an official astronomer, and others observed celestial bodies in order to conduct the Kansei calendar reform. Tadataka Inoh was a disciple of Yoshitoki.
(Reference: Taito Meisho Zue)
. Edo Torigoe 鳥越 Torigoe Ward (Torikoe) .

Heitengi Zukai (1802)
"Heitengi Zukai," a handbook of astronomy, was written by Zenbe Iwasaki, who was also a maker of telescopes. The book includes illustrations of the sun, the moon and stars, which were observed by him using a refracting telescope.

The Astronomical Herald　(1910)
"The Astronomical Herald" is a journal of the Astronomical Society of Japan, which was established in 1908. Observations of Halley's Comet, which passed the Earth in 1910, are written in the journal.
- source : taito-culture.jp -

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Asakusa Tenmondai 浅草天文台 Asakusa Observatory

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Asakusa Observatory
. . . until about 170 years ago, Asakusabashi was scientifically and technologically one of the most important places in Japan thanks to the astronomical observatory that used to be here, and which included offices for the study of the latest scientific literature from overseas.
Not far from where the observatory was is a signboard, on the south-west corner of Kuramae 1-chome intersection. The following is a full translation of the Japanese information on the signboard (which is only partially translated into English on the signboard).
- - - Site of Astronomical Observatory
In the late Edo era, a little west of this spot, was an astronomical observatory on a road running through an area comprising the whole of Asakusabashi 3-chome 21-24 banchi, and part of 19-, 25- and 26-banchi. Besides astronomical observation, it also hosted other pursuits such as calendar-rule research, surveying, compilation of topographical data, and the translation of Western books.

The observatory was known as Shitendai or Asakusa-tenmondai, and was transferred here in 1782 from Ushigome-waradana (current day Fukuromachi in Shinjuku ward) and rebuilt. It was officially named Hanrekidokoro-goyoyashiki ("The Imperial Office of Calendar Making") which, as the name suggests, was part of the government office, the Tenmongata, for working out the calendar. Astronomical observations were required to ensure calendar accuracy.

Signboard for site of old Asakusa Observatory, Taito ward, Tokyo.

According to a historical document known as Shitendai-no-ki ("Shitendai Records"), the Shitendai observatory was built on top of an artificial hill about 93.6 meters in circumference and about 9.3 meters high. The observatory was a square building, with each wall about 5.5 meters long, access being provided by 43 stone steps. Another historical record, the Kansei-rekisho ("Chronicles of the Kansei Era") states that there were two separate flights of stone stairs, each of 50 steps, and that the artificial hill was 9 meters high.
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It was here at the Asakusa Observatory that the astronomer Takahashi Yoshitoki (1764-1804) revised the calendar for the Kansei era (1789-1801). One of his understudies was Ino Tadakata (1745-1818), a surveyor and cartographer known for completing the first map of Japan. Before starting his survey of the whole of Japan, Ino first set out to establish the length of one degree of latitude by working out the direction of the observatory from his house in Fukugawa and the distance between them. After Takahashi’s death, upon the advice of his son and heir, Kakeyasu, in 1811 an office for translating foreign books, the Bansho-wage-goyo (蕃所和解御用), was established on the premises.
This office underwent many transformations: from Yogakusho ("Center for Western Learning"), to Bansho-shirabesho ("Western Learning Research and Educational Institute"), to Yosho-shirabesho ("Western Writings Institute"), to Kaiseisho/Kaiseijo (“Office for Opening and Developing”), to Kaisei Gakko (“School for Opening and Developing”), to Daigaku-nanko (“University Southern School”), and was a precursor institution of the current University of Tokyo.

Another observatory was built at Kudanzakaue (present day Kudankita, Chiyoda ward) in 1842, but both were abolished in 1869, in the second year of the modernizing Meiji era.
- source : japanvisitor.blogspot.jp - 1999 -

- reference - edo tenmongata -

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. Sakuma Tenmondai 佐久間天文台 Sakuma observatory .
Sakuma no Sokuryoosho 佐久間町の測量所 Sokuryosho surveying office
神田佐久間町2丁目 Kanda Sakumacho district

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Edo no Tenmongaku　江戸の天文学　Astronomy in Edo

. koyomi uri 暦売 seller of new calendars .

. Welcome to Edo 江戸 ! .

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- Reference - Japanese -

- Reference - English -

. Introducing Japanese Haiku Poets .

- - - #shibukawa #tenmongaku #tenmon #astronomy #edoastronomy - - -
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18/08/2015

Sendai Shiro

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Sendai Shiro (仙臺四郎 or sometimes 仙台四郎), born Haga Shiro,
was a real person who was said to have lived during the late Edo period through the early Meiji period from 1860-1902. He was born a man but is remembered as a god of fortune. Like most legends and their back stories, there are several slightly different versions of how Sendai Shiro came to be. I will be sharing a mix of what I have read, heard, and seen.

One hot summer August evening, the young boy Haga set out to see the fireworks marking the beginning of the city famous Tanabata Festival. Just like today, the best spot to see the fireworks is along the Hirose River. Fighting the crowds and struggling to get a better view, the innocent boy leaned too far over the ledge of a bridge and fell head first straight into the shallow river. Possibly hitting his head and nearly drowning, Haga was never the same. Likely suffering from brain damage, he lost the ability to use or remember most speech and his mental ability deteriorated. Most origin stories fail to mention the boys' parents or guardians. Maybe the young boy was abandoned after the accident. In either case, Haga soon became a common sight wandering aimlessly downtown around the shopping arcades, rarely talking but always smiling. As time went on, something strange began to happen.

Stores Haga frequented did well, even prospering in business. At the same time, establishments ignored by the iconic shaved-head and now growing larger man soon went bankrupt. Locals started calling Haga Shiro a good luck charm. Shop owners tried to coerce Haga into their stores and restaurants were known to treat him to free food. He was a popular sight and everyone wanted to be his friend. It must have been a leisurely life for someone who would have struggled to survive without the care he received from others.

Time went on and eventually Haga, now in his late forties, disappeared from the busy marketplace. Some say he wandered off to die or wandered off then died. To where? No one knows for certain. Several years after Shiro's mysterious death, a shrewd businessman had the idea to sell good luck charms with Haga Shiro's picture and face. The goods became wildly popular and Haga Shiro was soon immortalized as a city legend; the god of good luck, wealth, and prosperity would forever be known as Sendai Shiro.

More critical observers discredit the Sendai Shiro myth. They argue businesses which care little about their customers or reputation and only about money, probably had poor business practices. It was natural for them to be uninviting and eventually close down. Conversely, stores with excellent people skills would serve and welcome someone like Haga. Having the supposed good luck of Sendai Shiro played little importance to these stores as it was their customer service which really brought in customers and secured continuing and future success.

- - - - - Sendai Shiro Today
The spirit of Sendai Shiro is enshrined in Mitakisan Fudo-In Temple (三瀧山不動院). It is a temple located right inside the middle of Clis Road, the heart of the same shopping arcades Sendai Shiro became a legend. The Shingon sect temple is impressive in its own right with several artistic Buddhist statues inside its main hall. The lane leading to the prayer hall has Buddhist items sold on the right side and Sendai Shiro goods sold on the left. Climb the few stairs and look left before going inside the main hall to see a statue of Sendai Shiro. Why not pray for riches here? Next to the statue you can see images of him in picture form. These same pictures of the real Sendai Shiro can be found in many businesses across the city, usually near the cash register watching over the money. Take a look and you are sure to spot them during your travels.
Also keep an eye out for the Sendai Shiro look-alike known as "Heisei Shiro." This cheerful man appears in some local promotional internet videos and can be seen at some local events.
- source : Justin Velgus

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. Sendai no hariko men 仙台の張子面 papermachee masks .　
mask of 仙台四郎 Sendai Shiro

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CLICK for more dolls of Sendai Shiro!

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不思議な福の神「仙台四郎」の解明
―その実在と世界の分析なぜ御利益は必ず訪れるのか!?
大沢忍 (著)

- Reference - Japanese -

- further reference -

- - - #sendaishiro - - -
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10/07/2015

Hidari Jingoro Carpenter

Carving of a sleeping cat at Nikkō Tōshō-gū

Jingorō was a famous Edo period artist, designer, sculpturer, carpenter, and architect. He was an apprentice for the Chief Architect Hokyo Yoheiji Yusa of the Imperial Court in Kyoto where he studied how to build temples, shrines, and sculptures. After someone cut his right hand, he learned to work with his left hand and became Hidari Jingoroo (Hidari (左) means "left").

Stories about Jingorō are spread in wide regions in Japan.
According to one, he once saw a woman of such exceptional beauty that he made a sculpture of her. Jingorō begins to drink in the company of the sculpture, and it begins to move, following Jingorō's lead. At first it had no emotion and could only imitate Jingorō's movements. However, when he places a mirror in front of the sculpture, the woman's spirit enters and it comes to life.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Since the cat is watching over the Toshogu shrine compound, even while it is sleeping, there are no mice to worry about.

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CLICK for more of his work !

Tsunagi no Ryu　つなぎの龍 "the Chained Dragon"
秩父夜祭（神社） Chichibu Shrine

The dragon carved by Jingoro came down every night to drink at the pond and caused much damage to the rice paddies.
So it was eventually fixed with a chain.

There are many similar stories, many relating to the dragon, but also to other animals, which come down at night to devastate the crops and cause harm to the local farmers.
(In reality it might have been the wild boars and monkeys . . . as they do it to our day.)

A similar story is told at the temple 最勝寺 in 越生町, Saitama.

A similar story is told at the shrine 大井神社 in 菊川町, Shizuoka.

A similar story is told at the temple 泉福寺 in 桶川市, Saitama.

A similar story is told at the temple 竜巣院 in 袋井市, Shizuoka.
Here the dragon got hit with a sword into its side.

A similar story is told at the temple 竜潭寺 in 引佐町, Shizuoka.
Here the hair of the dragon was cut off.

A similar story is told at the shrine 大門神社 in 浦和市, Saitama.
Its eyes were destroyed by hammering nails into them to keep the dragon in place.

A similar story is told at the temple 米倉寺 in 中井町, Kanagawa.

A similar story is told at the temple 高山寺 in 小川町, Nagano.

A similar story is told about a ryuma 竜馬 dragon-horse carved by Jingoro at the temple 伝誓寺 Densei-Ji in 岡崎市, Aichi.

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A similar story is told about a 虎猫 tiger-cat carved by Jingoro at the temple 法住寺 Hoju-Ji in 大塚町, Aichi.
Here the legs of the animal were cut off.

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A similar story is told about a 猿 monkey carved by Jingoro at the shrine 岩清水八幡宮 Iwashimizu Hachimangu in 八幡市, Kyoto.
A nail was put through his right eye.

A similar story is told about a 猿 monkey carved by Jingoro at the shrine 聖天社 in 妻沼町, Saitama.

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A similar story is told about a kamo 鴨 duck carved by Jingoro at the temple 東福寺 Tofuku-Ji in 流山市, Chiba.

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A similar story is told about a tsuru 鶴 crane carved by Jingoro at the temple 長国寺 Chokoku-Ji in 松代町, Nagano.

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A similar story is told about an uma 馬 horse carved by Jingoro at the temple 慈恩寺 Jion-Ji in 幾川村, Saitama
and at 牛句観音 Ushiku Kannon in 敷島町, Yamanashi.
The horse was fixed with a bridle to keep it in place.

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. Asakusa 浅草 district in Edo .

At the famous Kannon Temple 浅草寺 Senso-Ji there was an 絵馬 ema by 狩野元信 Kano Motonobu, which came out at night and ate all the grass in the neighbourhood.
The people finally asked Jingoro to cut away the horse to get back to peace.

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source :　kappanda.blog.so-net.ne.jp

mamuke no ryuu 真向の竜 a dragon looking straight forward

成相山成相寺 Nariai-Ji
[西国三十三所巡礼] Saikoku Kannon Pilgrimage

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.................................................... Ehime 愛媛県 ....................................................

丹原町 Tanbara

katame buna 片目鮒 the buna fish with one eye
The buna in the pond of temple Kumyooji 久妙寺 Kumyo-Ji have been carved by Jingoro. The Dragon God later plucked them out of the carvings and threw them in the pond, poking out one eye.

.................................................... Gifu 岐阜県 ....................................................

下呂市 Gero

koi 鯉 carp

The carp at the main hall of the shrine 久津八幡宮 Kuzu Hachimangu has been carved by Jingoro. It was so well done that the animal escaped every night to the nearby river Hidagawa 飛騨川 to drink water. That is why the road in front of the shrine began to crumble. So behind the carp someone carved the image of an arrow and that brought an end to the nightly outings of the carp.

. Gero Onsen 下呂温泉 Gero Hot Spring Spa .

.................................................... Kumamoto 熊本県 ....................................................

- - - Here is a collection of legends about Jingoro and the shirikodama of the local Kappa, water goblins.

yamawaroo 山童 "mountain child", Kappa
Jingoro made some straw figures and had them help with his work. When the work was finished he told them not to harm people and threw 1000 of them into the sea (to become Kappa) and 1000 into the mountains to become "yamawaro".

....................................................................... and at 河浦町 Kawaura
The straw figures which Jingoro had made built a temple just over night were of no more use after the building was finished.
When he threw them into the river after that, he told them "Just go and eat the assholes of people". So they became Kappa. When such a Kappa eats rice offerings from a Buddhist altar, he can no longer kill people that way.

....................................................................... and at Amakusa, 五和町 Itsuwa
Jingoro made many straw figures and built the residence of the local lord. When the work was finished he threw them into the river and told them "Just go and eat the assholes of people". This is why the Kappa have come to eat the "shirikodama".

....................................................................... and at Amakusa, 御所浦町 Goshoura
When Jingoro was about to build a house, he got angry about one of the helpers, a good-for-nothing. He told him "Just go and eat the assholes of people" , then hit him with a hammer on the backside and threw the hammer into the sea. He made a straw figure 藁人形 and burried in the ground, which later became a Kappa.

....................................................................... and at 牛深市 Ushibuka
At the time when 平清盛 Taira no Kiyomori had Hidari Jingoro do the carvings for 宮島 Miyajima
Jingoro made straw figures and had them help him. When all the work was done the "straw people" asked what to do now.
"Just go and eat the assholes of people" he said, put a nail through the head of each one and threw it into the sea.
They turned out to become Kappa and now have a plate on their head to keep the water of life in it.

(Considering Jingoro is mostly associated with the Edo period, this is an amazing tale, since Kiyomori lived around 1168.)

. 河童 Kappa legends from Kumamoto　熊本県 .

.................................................... Okayama 岡山県 ....................................................

阿波村 Abason

The dragon carved by Jingoro at the shrine 阿波八幡神社 Aba Hachiman Jinja was coming down every night to roam in the fields and cause a lot of damage. So his eyes were rubbed out and peace returned to the villge.

- Introduction of the Shrine.
- source : www.e-tsuyama.com -

.................................................... Osaka 大阪市 ....................................................

At the temple Shitenno-Ji 四天王寺 there is a carving of a sleeping cat.
In the New Year's morning it is always calling out loudly.

So beside the famous cat in Nikko there is one more.
The cat carving amulet was a precious amulet to keep mice away from the silk worms in former times.

. Shitenno-Ji 四天王寺 - Introduction .

.................................................... Niigata 新潟県 ....................................................

月潟村 Tsukigata

ryuu 龍 Dragon
Once large ships could not move in the harbour and rumor had it the culprit was the Dragon carved in the local temple.
So people hit a nail into its tongue.
From that day on the ships could pass and move freely, but by sunset on that day, the temple hall burned down completely.

.......................................................................

浦佐町 Urasa

Jingoro spent some time in Echigo. There he heared the legend of Bishamonten who exterminated a wild mountain cat 山猫.
So he carved a mask of the mountain cat and fixed it to the entrance of the 毘沙門堂　Bishamon Hall.
After the main festival every year on the 7th day of the 3rd lunar month at midnight, the cat is howling.
Another legend tells that the mountain cat saved the Bishamon Hall from fire and the mask is now an amulet to prevent fire.

Urasa no neko men 浦佐の猫面 cat mask from Urasa
. Niigata Folk Art - 新潟県　 .

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Sado Island, 畑野町 Hatano

Jingoro carved a cock 鶏 for the shrine Kamo Jinja 加茂神社. He used a living cock borrowed from the neighborhood for his model. When the carving was done, the cock died all of a sudden. In his turn, the wood-carved cock was now crowing every morning. The villagers felt quite eery and eventually it was shot with an arrow in its breast. Then silence returned.

.................................................... Saitama 埼玉県 ....................................................

. Chichibu Jinja 秩父神社　Chichibu shrine .

kosodate no tora 子宝・子育ての虎 mother tiger and her children
(The tiger looks more like a leopard with her fur patterns . . .)

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浦和市 Urawa

After a funeral at the temple 国昌寺 Kokusho-Ji a dragon carved by Jingoro came down to eat the dead body, but then damaged the fields while suffering from a stomach ace. When the villagers hit some nails into the wooden head, all calmed down.

kugizuke no ryuu 釘付けの龍 "the nailed-down dragon"

A similar legend is told at 越谷市 Koshigaya. .

.................................................... Shizuoka 静岡県 ....................................................

Numazu 沼津市

wara ningyoo 藁人形 straw dolls, straw figures
Jingoro was ordered to rebuild the 観音堂 Kannon Hall. Since the festival day was close, there was not much time. So Jingoro asked the villagers to make many human straw figures. He blew life in them and they finished the hall in three days and three nights. Since it was finished in the early morning, it was called

source :　city.numazu.shizuoka.jp

Akeno Kannon 赤野観音 "Kannon in the Red (morning sun) Field".

................................................... Wakayama 和歌山県 ....................................................

赤松寺 Akamatsu temple

statue of a tiger 虎置物

.................................................... Yamaguchi 山口県 ....................................................

Shimonoseki 下関市

Temple 引接寺 Injo-Ji carving in the ceiling

.................................................... Yamanashi 山梨県 ....................................................

Kofu 中道町 Nakamichi

bakeneko 化け猫 the monster cat
When Jingoro walked along Yamazaki Shinden 山崎新田 he passed by a old woman suffering pain, so he heaved her on his back and carried her on. But is was in fact the stone statue of Jizo 石地蔵. When Jingoro reached the home of the old woman, there was only a servant telling him, the grandma of the home had just died and grandpa was on his way to the temple. The servant had been told not to let the fire go out, but he was tired and had started to nap. At that moment the dead old grandma had tried to get out of the house and Jingoro tried to hold her back as she tried to climb on the roof. Just than grandpa came back, took a stone, threw it up the roof and hit the grandma.
Since the fire went out, the cat from the temple had sneaked in, walked on the roof and tried to steal the dead body.

.......................................................................

- quote -
Toyo-kan (Mountain Lodge)
The lodge worships the Manekineko (lucky beckoning cat) and Hachidai Ryuo (Eight Great Dragon Kings) (Buddhism god) which are assumed to be carved by the noted sculptor Hidari Jingoro.
- source : www.yamanashi-kankou.jp -

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飛騨の甚五郎 Jingoro from Hida - Sake

名工、左甚五郎の名にあやかった
飛騨の清酒です。シャープな切れ味，辛口ごのみの男酒です。
- source : www.hidaroman.com -

carpenter joys -
today we drink
on Jingoro !

Gabi Greve, July 2015

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- - - - - H A I K U - - - - -

寒菊や大工は左甚五郎
kangiku ya daiku wa hidari jingoroo

chrysanthemum in the cold -
the carpenter is Hidari
Jingoro

. Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規.

. kangiku 寒菊 (かんぎく) chrysanthemum in the cold .
- kigo for all winter -

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耳立てて甚五郎猫は大昼寝
mimi tatete Jingoro neko wa oo hirune

with ears pricked up
the cat from Jingoro
takes its nap

角田よし子 Tsunoda Yoshiko

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Yokai database 　妖怪データベース　 - - - source: www.nichibun.ac.jp -

- Reference - Japanese -

- Reference - English -

. . minwa 民話　folktales / densetsu 伝説　Japanese Legends . .
- Introduction -

. Legends about animals 動物と伝説 .

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. Welcome to Edo 江戸 ! .

. Woodwork in Edo .

- - - #hidarijingoro #jingoro - - -
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05/07/2015

Nitta Yoshioki

The death of Nitta Yoshioki at the Yaguchi ferry - 矢ノ口渡合戦にて義興戦死図

The conflict with the Ashikaga clan continued for several decades, and in 1352, Yoshioki ousted Ashikaga Motouji from Kamakura, with the aid of his brother Nitta Yoshimune and cousin Wakiya Yoshiharu. Soon after taking control of the city, however, he was forced out by Ashikaga Takauji. Returning to the countryside of Kozuke and Musashi provinces, Yoshioki continued to fight for some time before being captured by Takezawa Nagahira. He was sentenced to death by the minister of Motouji, Hatakeyama Kunikiyo, and was executed at the age of 28 by drowning in the Tama River at Yaguchi in present-day Ōta ward of Tokyo.

A shrine at 矢口渡 Yaguchi no Watashi, the Nitta Shrine, is dedicated to Yoshioki. He is revered under the name Nitta Daimyōjin (新田大明神).

Yoshioki is the subject of an Edo-period kabuki play by Hiraga Gennai (1728 – 1780) titled Shinrei Yaguchi no Watashi.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

He committed suicide at Yaguchi village, and after that many terrible things happened in the village. The two warlords Edo and Takezawa 江戸 - 竹沢, who had fought against Yoshiaki also died of a curse.
So to appease his soul the shrine 新田神社 Nitta Jinja was erected.

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Nitta Jinja 新田神社

During the Nanboku-cho period, there was a brave and great samurai warrior named Nitta Yoshioki. He was the second son of Nitta Yoshisada. During that time, Japan was divided into North and South and they had repeatedly battled. Nitta Yoshioki fought for the Imperial Southern Court and became famous for being a strong warlord who could win against any kind of large army with his wisdom and bravery. However, he was killed by the enemies through a cowardly attack at the "Yaguchi Ferry." Enemies bored holes in the bottom of Nitta Yoshioki and his retainers' boat and fired off arrows from both banks. (Died on October 10, 1358) The Samurai warriors who engaged in Nitta Yoshioki's killing, was cursed by Yoshiaki's haunt and went crazy and died or saw ghost like fire balls, and lighting hit the place many times. Villagers witnessed these horrific events and decided to build a shrine for Nitta Yoshioki at the site of his death in order for his spirit to rest in peace.

Nitta Shrine is a shrine based on "Goryo Shinko” which is a Japanese belief. Japanese people viewed natural disasters that threatened people and great plagues as the work of evil spirits. Since the power of the spirits is enormously strong, people thought that the evil spirits could adversely save the people from accidents or disasters by enshrining them as a god. The belief was widely spread throughout Japan.

Nitta shrine commemorated the 650th anniversary of its construction in October 2008. The shrine is now well known as the "Good Luck Shrine" and is reverenced by Japanese.

- Homepage of the shrine
- source : nittajinja.org -

. goryoo, onryoo 御霊、怨霊 vengeful spirits .

............................................................................................................................................. .

- quote -
Kabuki - Shinrei Yaguchi no Watashi
The play "Shinrei Yaguchi no Watashi" was originally written for the puppet theater (Bunraku) and staged in the 1st lunar month of 1770 in Edo at the Gekiza. It was adapted to Kabuki many years later and staged for the first time in the 8th lunar month of 1794 at the Kiriza.

- Summary
During the reign of the Emperor Godaigo, the wicked Ashikaga Takauji attempted to dethrone the Emperor and set up a pretender in his place. A great battle was fought on the Plain of Musashino, near what later became Edo. The commander of the Imperial army was Nitta Yoshioki, a famous soldier. He and his troops fought courageously, but were defeated through the treachery of a man whom Yoshioki believed to be his friend. Yoshioki himself was murdered by this same false friend at Yaguchi, where a ferry crossed the Tama River.
- source : www.kabuki21.com/yaguchi_no_watashi -

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. Nitta Yoshisada 新田義貞　 (1302 - 1338) .

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- Reference - Japanese -
- Reference - English -

. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .

. Legends and Tales from Edo 江戸の伝説 .

- - - #nittayoshioki #yaguchi - - -
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. Kawase Hasui 川瀬巴水 (1883 - 1957) .
woodblock prints

kumoribi no Yaguchi 曇り日の矢口 Cloudy Day at Yaguchi
12 views

Yaguchi 矢口 Yaguchi
20 views

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11/06/2015

Furuyama Moromasa

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]

. - - - PERSONS - ABC - LIST of this BLOG - - - .
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Furuyama Moromasa 古山師政

Ukiyoe-Master of the Edo period, dates unknown.

- quote
古山師重の子。姓は古山、名は新七郎（一説には新九郎とも）。
月々堂、文志、文翅と号す。はじめは菱川昌則と称した。江戸両国の江市長屋に住んでいたと伝わる。『浮世絵類考』の一本には師政について「画法を師宣に学ぶ」と記されているが、「此の人に至りて菱川の画風を失ふ」ともあり、残されている作品を見てもその画風は菱川派ではなく、同じ時代に活躍した奥村政信や石川豊信、上方の西川祐信といった絵師たちの影響を受けているといわれる。従来作画期は宝永から延享の頃にかけてとされていたが、「浮世絵屏風」（今治市河野美術館蔵）の発見により、師政は元禄10年（1697年）前後には菱川派の画風で絵を制作し父師重の代筆をしており、更に元禄14年（1701年）頃には菱川一門を離れたことが判明した。

現在までに大判漆絵、浮絵、墨摺絵、紅絵（柱絵2点、浮絵3点を含む）の他に、多くの肉筆画が確認されている。木版画では特に大判墨摺絵の「吉田街道」、紅絵の「新吉原座舗けんすもふ」はよく知られている。肉筆画の代表作としては「梅下美人図」、「踊りの稽古図」、「巳屋店先図」などがある。
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Rare Japanese painting by Furuyama Moromasa
discovered in Edinburgh's Central Library collections

Undated photo of a section of a rare Japanese painting by Furuyama Moromasa, made available by City of Edinburgh Council, Scotland Friday Jan. 4, 2013, depicting early 18th century street life which has been discovered in a library's special collections. The 44ft scroll was donated in the 1940s but its significance has only just been realised by experts in Edinburgh. It is believed to be the largest of his works anywhere in the world. Two other examples of his work are held by the British Museum.
The scroll depicts a street scene from Edo, which became Tokyo, showing shops, theatres and domestic life. A funding application has been made to the Japan-based Sumitomo Foundation for conservation funding, with a result expected in March.

The scroll, by Japanese painter Furuyama Moromasa, is over 44ft in length and depicts an extended street scene in C18th Edo, or Tokyo, showing the shops and theatres and domestic detail of life at that time.

Two of Furuyama Moromasa's paintings are currently held by the British Museum, but this is thought to be the largest of his works discovered anywhere in the world.

AP Photo/ City of Edinburgh Council.

- source : artdaily.com/news - June 2015

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- Reference - Japanese -

- Reference - English -

. Welcome to Edo 江戸 ! .

- - - #furuyamamoromasa #moromasa- - -
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05/06/2015

Tokugawa Tsunayoshi

- quote
the fifth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, thus making him the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

He is known for instituting animal protection laws, particularly for dogs. This earned him the nickname of "the dog shogun."
- snip -
In 1691, Engelbert Kaempfer visited Edo as part of the annual Dutch embassy from Dejima in Nagasaki. He journeyed from Nagasaki to Osaka, to Kyoto, and there to Edo. Kaempfer gives us information on Japan during the early reign of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. As the Dutch embassy entered Edo in 1692, they asked to have an audience with Shogun Tsunayoshi. While they were waiting for approval, a fire destroyed six hundred houses in Edo, and the audience was postponed. Tsunayoshi and several of the ladies of the court sat behind reed screens, while the Dutch embassy sat in front of them. Tsunayoshi took an interest in Western matters, and apparently asked them to talk and sing with one another for him to see how Westerners behaved. Tsunayoshi later put on a Noh drama for them.
- snip -
Owing to religious fundamentalism, Tsunayoshi sought protection for living beings in the later parts of his rule. In the 1690s and first decade of the 18th century, Tsunayoshi, who was born in the Year of the Dog, thought he should take several measures concerning dogs. A collection of edicts released daily, known as the Edicts on Compassion for Living Things (生類憐みの令 Shōruiawareminorei, Shorui Awaremi no Rei) told the populace, inter alia, to protect dogs, since in Edo there were many stray and diseased dogs walking around the city.
Therefore, he earned the pejorative title Inu-Kubō (犬公方:Inu=Dog, Kubō=formal title of Shogun).
In 1695, there were so many dogs that Edo began to smell horribly.
- snip -
For the latter part of Tsunayoshi's reign, he was advised by Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu. It was a golden era of classic Japanese art, known as the Genroku era.
...
In 1695, there were so many dogs that Edo began to smell horribly.
An apprentice was even executed because he wounded a dog. Finally, the trouble was taken to a distance, as over 50,000 dogs were deported to kennels in the suburbs of the city where they would be housed.
They were apparently fed rice and fish which were at the expense of the taxpaying citizens of Edo.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. 犬御用屋敷跡　inu yashiki 犬小屋 remains of the dog kennel .
Yotsuya, Edo

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. Nerima daikon 練馬大根 radish from Nerima .
- - - has been introduced by Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, 5th shogun, to help feed the growing population of Edo.

. The Temple Bell at Asakusa, Senso-Ji .
- - - was cast at the orders of the shogun Tsunayoshi.

. Nezu Jinja 根津神社　Nezu Shrine .
The shrine pavilions we see today were constructed under the orders of Tsunayoshi Tokugawa (1646-1709), the fifth Shogun, in 1706.

. Yuuten, Yūten 祐天 Yuten Shami .
Yuten came to be patronized by Keisho-in, the mother of the fifth Tokugawa shogun Tsunayoshi, who is said to have called on him in his hermit's hut on the outskirts of Edo.

. 柳澤吉保 Yanagizawa Yoshiyasu . ［1658 -1714］
special retainer of Tsunayoshi.

- - - - - 生類憐みの令 shōrui awaremi no rei
This law encompasses all living things, humans at first.
Tsunayoshi cared about the people, he was the first to promote Terakoya schools. When the first foreigners came to Japan in the Meiji period, they were surprized at the high level of literacy in this "backward" country.
He also abolished the law of "kirisute gomen", where samurai could kill normal people without any problem.
He also introduced the idea of being gratetful to the ancestors, installing family graves for the first time, gosenzo daidai　御先祖代々. mostly at temple graveyards.
Until then, individuals had individual graves.

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The Dog Shogun:
The Personality and Policies of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
Author: Beatrice Bodart-Bailey

Tsunayoshi (1646–1709), the fifth Tokugawa shogun, is one of the most notorious figures in Japanese history. Viewed by many as a tyrant, his policies were deemed eccentric, extreme, and unorthodox. His Laws of Compassion, which made the maltreatment of dogs an offense punishable by death, earned him the nickname Dog Shogun, by which he is still popularly known today. However, Tsunayoshi’s rule coincides with the famed Genroku era, a period of unprecedented cultural growth and prosperity that Japan would not experience again until the mid-twentieth century. It was under Tsunayoshi that for the first time in Japanese history considerable numbers of ordinary townspeople were in a financial position to acquire an education and enjoy many of the amusements previously reserved for the ruling elite.

Based on a masterful re-examination of primary sources, this exciting new work by a senior scholar of the Tokugawa period maintains that Tsunayoshi’s notoriety stems largely from the work of samurai historians and officials who saw their privileges challenged by a ruler sympathetic to commoners. Beatrice Bodart-Bailey’s insightful analysis of Tsunayoshi’s background sheds new light on his personality and the policies associated with his shogunate. Tsunayoshi was the fourth son of Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604–1651) and left largely in the care of his mother, the daughter of a greengrocer. Under her influence, Bodart-Bailey argues, the future ruler rebelled against the values of his class. As evidence she cites the fact that, as shogun, Tsunayoshi not only decreed the registration of dogs, which were kept in large numbers by samurai and posed a threat to the populace, but also the registration of pregnant women and young children to prevent infanticide. He decreed, moreover, that officials take on the onerous tasks of finding homes for abandoned children and caring for sick travelers.

In the eyes of his detractors, Tsunayoshi’s interest in Confucian and Buddhist studies and his other intellectual pursuits were merely distractions for a dilettante. Bodart-Bailey counters that view by pointing out that one of Japan’s most important political philosophers, Ogyû Sorai, learned his craft under the fifth shogun. Sorai not only praised Tsunayoshi’s government, but his writings constitute the theoretical framework for many of the ruler’s controversial policies. Another salutary aspect of Tsunayoshi’s leadership that Bodart-Bailey brings to light is his role in preventing the famines and riots that would have undoubtedly taken place following the worst earthquake and tsunami as well as the most violent eruption of Mount Fuji in history—all of which occurred during the final years of Tsunayoshi's shogunate.

The Dog Shogun is a thoroughly revisionist work of Japanese political history that touches on many social, intellectual, and economic developments as well. As such it promises to become a standard text on late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth-century Japan.
- source : www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/ -

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Keishooin 桂昌院 Keisho-In, Keishoin

- quote -
Keisho-in - Biography (1627-1705).
The birth mother of the fifth shogun Tsunayoshi Tokugawa. The second daughter of Nizaemon, a green grocer of Horikawa, Kyoto.
Keisho-in entered into service at the inner palace as the adopted daughter of Munemasa Honjo, the Keishi (an officer responsible for running the household) of Nijo Kampaku (Imperial Regent). She was chosen by Kasuganotsubone (the nurse of the shogun Iemitsu), became the concubine of the third shogun Iemitsu, and gave birth to Tsunayoshi. She was called Otamanokata (O-Tama no Kata), became a nun after the death of Iemitsu, and called herself Keisho-in. She rose to Juichii, the highest position for women, and became the power behind Tsunayoshi’s policies. She was also very religious and contributed to building Gokoku-Ji Temple and restoring many temples and shrines.
- snip -
When Otamanokata was a small girl, a priest was said to have predicted that she would rise to greatness.
Just as in the prediction, from being a daughter of a green grocer, Keisho-in rose to the highest possible position a woman could attain. It is a widely accepted theory that her name is the pronoun of Tamanokoshi (Japanese expression for marrying into money) because of her name and how she advanced in the world. In 1680, when Tsunayoshi assumed the role of shogun, she moved into Sannomaru in Edo Castle and intervened in politics.
It is generally believed that the famous law against the harming of animals was drawn up by Keisho-in pressuring Tsunayoshi following the suggestion made by her favorite high priest, Takamitsu. The Matsu no Roka Jiken (the incidence in the Matsu hallway) caused by Asano Takuminokami Naganori at Edo Castle happened during a visit by the Imperial envoy to announce Keisho-in’s new position as Juichii. In Zojo Temple in Shibakoen, where Keisho-in is buried, there are tombs of six shoguns, including the second shogun, Hidetada, and the sixth shogun, Ienobu, as well as the wives and concubines of each shogun.
The Inukimon Gate of the Tokugawa tomb is registered as the City’s tangible cultural property and was originally in front of Ienobu’s tomb. It is a Chinese-style bronze gate decorated with castings of ascending and descending dragons on either side of the gate. The 10 hollyhock crests on the door were added after World War II.
- source : lib.city.minato.tokyo.jp/yukari -

. Otowa Gokokuji 音羽護国寺 Otowa Gokoku-Ji .
This temple was founded in 1681 by 亮賢僧正 high priest Ryoken (1611 - 1687)
on behalf of Shogun Tsunayoshi for his mother, 桂昌院 Lady Keisho-In (徳川綱吉生母).

. Yanagimori Jinja 柳森神社 Yanagimori Shrine .
The shrine was built in the late 17th century by a woman named Keisho-in 桂昌院, the daughter of a lowly greengrocer. As a teenager she was 'scouted' by representatives of Edo castle to join the O-oku -- the harem of women who serviced the Shogun.

. Keisho-In and her retainer Otowa 音羽 .
Otowachoo　音羽町 Otowa district in Edo

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